Portfolio project

Skills guide for the CIPR

Writing for online audiences

While media relations remains a critical part of public relations, online platforms have made it possible for PR practitioners to cut out the ‘middle man’ and reach their target audiences directly via websites, blog posts, emailers, social media posts, video footage, infographics and other online content.

This Skills Guide looks at what – if anything – makes writing for online audiences different and how to ensure that your online copy is read, understood and acted upon.

Is online writing really that different?

Type the words ‘writing for the web’ into Google and up will pop around 739,000,000 results in 0.41 seconds. It’s clear that just about every academic institution, training course provider and professional writer has an awful lot to say on the subject.

But is all of this special attention really necessary? Surely good writing is good writing. Is online writing really that different to writing for any other medium?